Cats do more than tolerate people

PALM SPRINGS, CA - The following reader questions were answered by veterinarians who were among a broad spectrum of leaders meeting to discuss the current status of the cat at the CATalyst Summit here Feb. 5-6.

Q: I enjoyed your recent column on the cat. Dogs were tamed and trained to be useful in handling farm animals. There were fed and shown appreciation, so they learned to live with humans. When people began to grow and store grain, the grain attracted rats. Cats were attracted to the rats for food. People were glad the cats were eating the rats but had no further use for cats. The cats tolerated people because they were near the rats. To this day, cats and people tolerate one another. What do you think? - M.T., Charleston, WV

A: You're on target up to your last sentence. "I'd like to think cats more than only tolerate us," says Dr. Jane Brunt, past president of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, which co-sponsored the CATalyst Summit. One outcome was agreement that cats are misunderstood by the general public.

"Cats want to be with us every bit as much as dogs do," says Brunt, of Baltimore, MD. "Though cats express themselves differently (than dogs), they are certainly unique and special in their own ways. And we should celebrate those differences. Still, there are so many misconceptions about cats. For example, cats are not aloof. In fact, domestic cats are social beings. Of course, every cat is an individual. Some dogs are more social than others, some people are, too."

1 comment:

I agree totally that cats want to be with us (when they want to be with us ). The amigos make an effort to be with grandma and I. Bujang certainly makes the decisions. He and Rocket are very sociable with guests. :) The rest are just eccentric , like the humans in the house.